Professional Project Fund

The Professional Project Fund gives you the flexibility to design a graduate-level internship in the third sector, allowing you to gain meaningful experience while making a tangible impact. Follow these steps to develop a strong project and submit a successful application:

Step 1: Identify & Develop Your Project
Begin by researching and approaching a third-sector organisation that could benefit from your skills. Your project should go beyond general volunteering and involve graduate-level work, offering you a challenge, allowing you to apply your academic knowledge, and helping you develop sector-relevant skills.

To help you find suitable organisations, you can:

• Explore our resources on charities and third-sector employers.
• Attend a Professional Project Fund Introduction session, bookable in JobsLive throughout April. These sessions provide a detailed overview of the scheme and offer guidance on identifying the right organisation and scoping a strong project.

Step 2: Secure Agreement with the Organisation
Once you and the organisation have defined a suitable project, ask your host organisation to complete the Professional Project Fund Organisation Form. This confirms their commitment to hosting and supporting your project. 

Step 3: Submit Your Application
Complete the Professional Project Fund Student Application Form, detailing:

• Your chosen organisation and the agreed project scope.
• How the project aligns with your skills, academic background, and career goals.
• The specific skills you will develop and how the experience will benefit both you and the organisation.

Both the Organisation Form and Student Application Form must be submitted by 23:59 on Sunday, 18 May 2025.

For inspiration, explore the case studies below of past students who successfully secured funding for their projects.

The Professional Project Fund (PPF) is open to continuing students at Imperial College London who meet the following criteria:

• Registered student status: you must be a current undergraduate or PhD student at Imperial College London, studying a STEM degree.
• Continuing studies: you must be continuing with your current programme of study at Imperial in the next academic year.
• Third-sector organisation: your project must be with an organisation in the third sector (e.g., a charity, non-profit, or social enterprise).
• Graduate-level project: you should have a clearly defined, graduate-level project that you will undertake over four weeks (full-time) or an equivalent part-time duration. General volunteering, such as fundraising or administrative tasks, does not qualify.
• Host organisation contact: The Careers Service must be provided with a contact name from the host organisation to confirm their support for your project.
• Application submission: both the Professional Project Fund Organisation Form (completed by the host organisation) and the Professional Project Fund Student Application Form (completed by you) must be submitted no later than 23:59 Sunday 18 May 2025.

What sort of organisation can I get a bursary to do an internship at?

You can apply for a bursary at any registered organisation in the third sector. This can include voluntary and community organisations (e.g. registered charities, associations, community groups), social enterprises, mutuals, co-operatives, think tanks and private research institutes (this does not include universities and colleges).

There are case studies below detailing the experiences of previous Professional Project Fund participants, which you may find useful to provide ideas.

Please note we reserve the right to disqualify any applicant whose project plan or organisation runs contrary to Imperial College London policy, public policy, contravenes any Law of the United Kingdom, or otherwise may be considered to bring the university into disrepute.

Does my project need to take place with a UK organisation?

No. Projects can be undertaken with any organisation within the third sector.  In your application, you will be required to provide evidence of the organisation’s status as a third sector organisation.

How do I approach the organisations?

For the majority of organisations in the third sector you will need to apply speculatively. It is important to research the organisation first so you know enough about them before you make your speculative approach. Think about the following:

• What do you find interesting about this organisation?
• Which department would like to spend your internship in?
• How can you be of value to the organisation?
• Who is the best person to contact (if it is not clear from the website perhaps you could use LinkedIn to find a suitable contact)

Once you have completed this research, prepare a  and  targeted towards this company. In your letter you should explain why you are writing to them. Explain that you are seeking to develop a project as part of the Professional Project Fund and should give the specific dates when you are available. Make it clear that the university will be funding your work so this internship will be of no financial burden to the organisation.

Your letter should also detail what skills/experience/knowledge you have to offer (using the research you have already completed to show how this matches what they require). Your CV should back up your letter by giving further evidence of the skills/knowledge/experience that you think the organisation will be looking for. This may have been gained through extra-curricular activities, project work on your course, previous work experience or voluntary work.

Don’t forget the Careers Service is here to help with your CV and covering letter, you can also book a 1:1 Careers Discussion to support you with your search.

What sort of project is likely to be successful in being awarded a bursary?

You should have a distinct, rigorous ‘graduate level’ project to complete that makes use of the skills you have been developing whilst at Imperial. Have a look at our case studies below to get an idea of the projects that have previously been successful. It should be clear that the project is manageable within four weeks.

When does my project need to take place?

Projects must take place in the summer vacation period and must be fully complete by the start of the next academic year.

Would a Professional Project Fund bursary be suitable for UROP, another vacation studentship at a university or to support ongoing PhD research?

No. Unfortunately, the Professional Project Fund is not designed for UROP participants or students completing research at universities. There are other forms of funding available for this work. Please see review further details on the UROP webpages. PhD candidates can also not apply for the Professional Project Fund for work relating to their research.

I’m a final year BSc, going on to do a masters at Imperial, am I eligible?

Due to how bursary payments are made to Professional Project Fund participants, students must be continuing their current programme of study in to the next academic year. Unfortunately, final year BSc students who intend to undertake a masters at Imperial are not eligible, due to their student status terminating at the end of the BSc, before recommencing for the masters.

Can I work from home?

In some instances you may be required to work remotely. We will be looking for evidence in your application that you have considered how you will effectively work remotely to still deliver the project outcomes. 

What support is available before I go on my internship?

We will hold an induction event in the summer term that will include information on how to make the most of your experience.

I’ve been turned down can I request feedback?

It is possible that a number of applications will be unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. If you would like feedback on any aspect of your application, the interview or the selection process, please contact the Placement and Internship Unit at internship.unit@imperial.ac.uk.